Although the "discovery" lessons that I had to do while at SDSU were by far the most challenging of any lesson for me, once I got into the classroom the concept of Project Based Learning was something I was able to really enjoy. But, it made more sense to me when I was actually in the classroom. It was still very challenging to "let go" and "give the reigns" to the students and I surely made many mistakes during the process. Some technology resources, though, really allowed me to set up the Project-Based Learning Plan more easily.
So, I start today with a chart that you may want to check out: http://www.friedtechnology.com/2012/11/whats-difference-between-doing-projects.html
The chart talks about the difference between "Projects" and "Project-Based Learning". Here are some examples that were most interesting to me:
Projects: Project-based Learning:
| Are closed: every project has the same goal. (As in the example above, the end result is always The Alamo.) | Is open: students make choices that determine the outcome and path of the research. |
| Cannot be used in the real world to solve real problems. | Could provide solutions in the real world to real problems even though they may not be implemented. |
| Are not particularly relevant to students’ lives. | Is relevant to students’ lives or future lives. |
| Do not resemble work done in the real world. | Is just like or closely resembles work done in the real world. |
| Do not include scenarios and background information or are based on events that have already resolved. | The scenario or simulation is real or if it is fictitious, is realistic, entertaining, and timely. |
| Are sometimes based around a tool for the sake of the tool rather than of an authentic question. (Make a Prezi.) | Use technology, tools, and practices of the real world work environment purposefully. Students choose tools according to purposes. |
| Are often graded based teacher perceptions that may or may not be explicitly shared with students, like neatness. | Is graded based on a clearly defined rubric made or modified specifically for the project. |
Here are some resources that may help you to accomplish Project-Based Learning (or possibly create your own Common Core Performance Tasks as well):
1) Google Sites (https://sites.google.com/) will allow you to create your own site and have links, videos, images and other information online for you to direct students toward. You can also have students create their own sites to store and share information during a project. If you are interested in setting up your own Google Site, please let me know and I will be happy to help.
2) The Open Culture Free Resource List (http://www.openculture.com/free_k-12_educational_resources) completely made my day. What is better than an organized, free list of resources? These would be great resources to share with or link on your website for students to use.
3) The National Archives is a regular on my Google Reader with the Historical Document of the day, but there are also more resources on there that are great for interactive learning through historical documents. (http://docsteach.org/tools) This site will allow you to create your own account, build an activity for comprehension, analyzation or connection building with historical documents. Also, do not limit this to Social Studies class, you can find historical connections about theories, events, or scientific discoveries as well. Don't forget, if you ever need to find a primary document to delineate, the National Archives probably has a copy for you.
4) EasyBib (http://easybib.com/) is a way for students to create MLA Style Bibliography pages to document all of the resources used in the project. We all know there is a lot of bogus information out there... Have you ever heard of the Tree Octopus? (http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/) And, EasyBib may not tell students for sure if a resource is legitimate or not, but it will surely make them think more about it as they put in the publisher, date and author and create a Bibliography while working on their project.
5) iPad Apps for creation at the Elementary Level are also great for project-based learning. I reviewed many last Friday, so I will include the link to these again. goo.gl/kCp9m These are apps that are on the iPads right now for you to use. If you have questions, please let me know and I will be glad to help. If you have any more, please share with us! I would like to add as many great apps on the iPads as possible.
6) Rubistar http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ is a great resource when you are stuck on a rubric idea. I am a big fan of rubrics and I think that as we head toward project-learning and common core performance tasks, they will be even more important to the classroom.
I hope you have a great day and please let me know if you have any questions or I can help you try something new!
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